Painted Memories
by HallowedInk
Summary: AU. Jasper tells Alice the story of the girl in the park. JxA. Sequel to Fairytales.


Summary: AU AU AU !!! Jasper tells Alice the story of the girl in the park. JxA

Sequel to Fairytales, you HAVE to read that one first or you won't understand this one.

Not sure if this came out how I wanted it, but here goes.

BTW: Jasper is not a pedophile, he loved Alice after she had grown up, not whilst she was growing up, cuz that's what my friend thought.

**Painted Memories**

There was a painting standing on Jasper's desk. It had been there for as long as he had been with the Cullens and Jasper treasured it as much as he treasured his long-time girlfriend, Alice.

The painting was of a tiny girl, about six or seven years old. She had short black hair, which was flying in every direction, blown by an unseen wind, and startling blue eyes. She was dressed in a pair of ragged brown trousers, a little too big for her lithe, small stature, and a blue top that was streaked with dirt. She was curled up on a bench, her feet tucked underneath her, and snow was swirling around her and settling on the already white ground.

Jasper sat at his desk, as unmoving as a statue, and stared at the painting. He remembered where it had come from, what had caused him to paint it.

He wondered if the subject remembered their meeting, the time they had shared together so long ago.

"_Are you a vampire, mister?"_ Her sweet, young voice came back to him, accompanied by a familiar giggle. He could clearly remember her and her delightful, delightful smell, which had sung to him; the likes of which he had never heard before.

He didn't know how much time past as he sat there, reliving that day in his mind, over and over again. He let the memories wash over him, taking the good with the bad as it come.

The momentary weakness he had suffered from, which caused him to let her go.

He wondered what had happened to her after that day, whether she had gotten in trouble with her father for being late getting home.

Did she remember what happened to her mother?

He doubted it.

After all, that had just been a fairytale in her mind. A fairytale with a bad ending. The exception to the rule, but a fairytale nonetheless. Just a children's story. Of course, the six or seven year old little girl could never fathom that the make-believe monsters she believed in really existed.

That wasn't supposed to happen. She was supposed to grow into a healthy, beautiful young woman, marry a rich young man, and have plenty of children. And then, in years' and years' time, she would tell her own little girl the story of the vampire she met in the park when she was six. She would tell them the same fairytales her mother told her.

Why had that never happened? Jasper wondered about it.

He had watched her for years after their meeting, seeing her mature into a fine young woman. And he had seen everything go wrong. He had seen her life fall apart, had watched her as she was taken away. That's when he stopped watching, unable to bare the sadness of her fate.

All the while as he watched her, he fought the compulsion to drink her blood, to kill her, and felt a similar compulsion. A stronger one, telling him to leave her, to keep her safe. Somehow, he managed it. He kept his distance and she survived.

When he stopped watching, he missed her. He thought he'd never see her again.

And then there she was, a few years later, exactly as he had imagined.

Jasper was broken out of his thoughts by the sound of the door opening. Alice crept in to the room silently, her feet making no sound on the carpeted floor, but Jasper heard her anyway.

"Alice," he stated as a greeting. He felt her hands on his back suddenly, rubbing firmly, giving a massage. He sighed, savouring the feeling.

"Who is she?" Alice asked softly, examining the photograph-like painting on Jasper's desk, framed with a red-painted frame.

"Who's who?" Jasper asked in mock confusion, stalling for time as best he could, and wondering if it would be fair to use his power on Alice to make her so relaxed she would forget her question. He decided it wouldn't.

"The girl, in your painting…"

Jasper hesitated now, not wanting to answer the question. Alice had never asked him that before, and he had no idea what he would tell her.

"Jasper? Are you okay? You don't have to tell me if you don't want to…" Surprisingly, for once Alice was being the empathic one, reading Jasper's feelings as if they were a book. He turned to look at her, and saw the emotions he had been feeling from her: she was hurt because she thought he didn't trust her enough to tell her.

Suddenly, he stood up and crossed his room to sit on the bed. He beckoned her over to him, and she came and seated herself next to him. Heaving a sigh, he gently pulled her onto his lap, cradling her in his arms.

"She was also called Alice. I met her years and years ago, in a park in winter. She was the first human whose blood I resisted. I don't know why. At the time, I thought I was too weak to take the life of such a fragile, vulnerable girl." Jasper paused, using his power to gauge the reaction his story was getting out of Alice. Alice was completely taken with the story. She seemed to be hanging onto his every word.

When Jasper stopped telling his story, Alice looked up at him, curiosity radiating off her. "What happened next?" she asked, keeping her voice low.

"I watched her. For years and years, I would watch her as she went about her everyday life. I watched her grow up, and mature. I was in love with her, I guess, but I never wanted to admit it. I didn't want to have to change her. I wasn't sure would be able to resist, and I didn't want to take her life away from her. She was so happy. And then, her life fell apart. I kept telling myself I would go there… Help her… But I never did. They took her away. I thought I'd never see her again."

His story was over. He didn't want to have to tell her the rest. He didn't want to force her to remember. It wasn't fair on Alice. But, of course, his words had left her curious. She wanted the end of his admission.

"Did you ever see her again?" Alice' innocent voice cut through his thoughts, her curiosity and innocence as to the end of the story overwhelming his own emotions.

He sighed.

"She was changed," he said shortly, avoiding Alice' eyes. "I did see her again… I have seen her again…" He let his voice trail off, hoping Alice wouldn't ask any more questions, but knowing she would anyway.

A wave of misery washed over his mind, and even though he knew it was his own emotions, he still looked down at Alice. "Are you okay?"

"Do I know her?" Alice answered his question with one of her own, unknowingly letting loose a wave of sympathy from Jasper, which washed over, causing her an involuntary sadness.

She really didn't remember, Jasper mused sadly; feeling intense pity for the young lady the little girl in the park had grown into. Suddenly, he felt he had to tell her, that he owed her the explanation, anything to help her regain the part of her life she had lost when she was sent away.

"Don't you remember?" he asked, trying to jog her memories.

"Don't I remember what?" she asked in confusion, but then she understood. "Was… was it me? Is that why? Oh, but I wish I could remember…"

Jasper smiled at her, and took her hand in his gently, kissing her fingertips. "One day, you will remember. I promise." They shared a secret smile.

… F I N …

Please R and R. Thanks.

x Nikki x


End file.
